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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29639457">Titan Sick</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/anything_for_armin/pseuds/anything_for_armin'>anything_for_armin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Being A Titan Is Hard [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(Yes - Again), Abuse Of Commas And Long Ass Sentences (Sorry About That), Also IVs Somehow Exist??, Also Mikasa Apparently Makes Really Good Soup, Angst, Armin Arlert Hates Medicine, Armin Arlert Needs a Hug, Armin Gets "Titan Sick", Being A Titan Is Hard, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eren Is A Doctor's Boy, Eren's Dad Is A Medical Genius, Featuring My Horrible Habit Of Completely Straying From Canon, Fluff, Hange Helps Too, Hange Just Doing Her Experiment Thing, Hurt/Comfort, I Accidentally Posted This And Had To Delete It, I Think That's The Name Of The Series Too Lmao, Idk If This Counts As Angst But Armin Is Sad And Crying So, M/M, Oh Yeah And Also Levi Gets Worried Because He Cares (NOT IN THAT WAY THOUGH), Sick Character, Sickfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 20:07:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,737</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29639457</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/anything_for_armin/pseuds/anything_for_armin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin Arlert is fine. He really is. His hands are just shaky. And he's really cold. And somehow sweaty at the same time? For some reason? But he's fine. He really is. Definitely not sick. Doing just fine.</p><p>But Armin Arlert is not, in fact, fine. And Eren can see that. Eren notices the dark circles under his eyes, and the shaky legs, and how he acts more and more like a child by the minute. Just like he does when he's sick.</p><p>Armin Arlert is not fine, in any way, shape, or form. Armin is sick. "Titan sick", to be exact.</p><p>Alternatively titled: Armin overworks himself and gets himself sick, all while whining about it.</p><p>!TW FOR VOMIT, NEEDLES, AND VERY MINOR MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM (for the titan transformation). PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS HARMS YOU IN ANY WAY!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Being A Titan Is Hard [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Titan Sick</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>!ONCE AGAIN, TW FOR VOMIT, NEEDLES, AND VERY MINOR MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM (for the titan transformation). PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS TRIGGERS YOU IN ANY WAY!<br/>I accidentally posted this and had to delete it. I really hope nobody saw that. Also, can you make a post into a draft again after posting it? And if so, how? Because this would've saved me a hell of a lot of trouble. Anyways fuck my life.<br/>As you guys can probably tell, I love to stray from canon. Like a lot. So I've come to the conclusion that this "series" (is it a series? It doesn't feel long enough to be a series...) will be more or less similar to canon (again, the emphasis is on "more or less" because fuck canon) until around season four, meaning that humanity does not exist beyond the walls. They were all wiped out during the titan war, just like we all thought in season one. How are titans formed then? I don't know. I haven't figured out all the details if I'm being completely honest... Let's just say they appear out of nowhere like we thought they did back in the beginning. Is there really a need to figure out all the details though? Honestly, it's just eremin sickfic, angst, and fluff, do I really need to overthink about details now? Obviously if you guys want me to make like a really in-depth series I'll figure something out but for now I think I'll stick to these little one-shot things.</p><p>!ALSO FOR SOME REASON I FEEL THE NEED TO SAY THIS (yes, again) BUT I DO NOT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT (apart from this work ofc) I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS MENTIONED, AND ALL CREDITS GO TO HAJIME ISAYAMA AND HONESTLY IDK IF I EVEN NEED TO MENTION THIS BUT ALL ANIMATION CREDITS GO TO WIT STUDIO AND MAPPA!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Armin Arlert did not like Tuesdays. Now, to the average person, there was not one good reason to dislike Tuesdays. They were simply another day of the week. They weren't the first day of the week, which brought with it the sadness of the weekend slowly slipping away, and they weren't the last hours of the weekend either, bringing with it the knowledge that your short break from all responsibilities was almost over. </p><p>However, Armin Arlert was most certainly not a normal person (to his great dismay), almost making his hatred of Tuesdays justified. Yeah sure, he was glad the powers of the Colossal Titan were in the hands of humanity, but he still hadn't quite gotten used to the whole "him being a titan" thing. He wasn't used to the whole "dreams about killing the Commander and eating Bertolt" thing either, and he definitely was not used to the whole "turning into a titan and having Hanji prod at him like some kind of lab bunny" thing.</p><p>And that right there was the reason Armin hated Tuesdays. Tuesdays were Hanji's experiment days, also known as his "titan training" days where he'd practice transforming. At five a.m. sharp he'd be led down to a clearing by Hanji and a few of her assistants. Hanji would then ask him to transform, or maybe take his blood to examine, or some other out-of-this-world request. Eren would usually join them, but he'd come only after the sun had already risen, since he wasn't really a morning person and did not appreciate being woken up at the early hour of five in the morning.</p><p>Eren wouldn't be coming today though, something that made Armin's stomach erupt with worry. Captain Levi had called him to do some extra training, claiming that Eren's use of the ODM gear wasn't up to his expectations. Armin was convinced Levi just wanted to separate them and make him suffer. Now, you may be thinking, why did Eren need to come to Armin's so called "titan training"? The reason was simple. Armin didn't know his own limits. He "didn't believe in them", apparently. He believed in overworking himself, doing things again and again until he dropped.</p><p>When Eren was there, he'd make sure Armin was well-rested before allowing Hanji to make him transform again, he'd pull him out of the limp body of his titan and just sit there, stroking his hair softly until Armin woke up, or felt well enough to go again. Armin was worried that without Eren there Hanji might go a little too far. And although he didn't want to hurt himself, something inside Armin <strong>wanted</strong> Hanji to go too far, to allow him to transform again and again until he couldn't stand anymore. Maybe Eren not coming today was a good thing.</p><p>You see, as much as Armin appreciated Eren, he really wasn't fond of his constant nagging. Every Tuesday night it would always be "are you okay?", "do you need anything? Maybe water?", and "does anything hurt?", and as much as Armin loved him, he didn't need someone to baby him. Today, without Eren there, he'd truly be able to see how much he could handle, maybe build up some endurance. After all, what use would he be if people had to pull his unconscious body out of a titan every time he transformed?</p><p>Armin now had a plan in his head for today. He'd let Hanji do whatever she wants, and transform as many times as she wanted him to - no unnecessary breaks. If he passed out or got hurt, he'd deal with it. If he didn't, that would just prove Eren's breaks weren't needed and he could practice as much as he wanted without his nagging.</p><p>He had just come to terms with his plans when the door knob turned slowly, the door opening to reveal a very enthusiastic Hanji, a toothy smile plastered on her face. "You ready Armin?" she whispered, careful not to wake any of the other scouts sleeping in the room.</p><p>"Yeah" he answered, voice still hoarse from sleep.</p><p>Hanji nodded, and Armin stepped through the door to join her, allowing himself to be led the the familiar clearing right outside the headquarters. It wasn't a long walk, only around a half hour, but his early awakening always took a toll on him, his feet dragging on the ground. He knew he'd feel better once the sun had risen, he always did.</p><p>They got to the clearing, the outline of where his titan had fallen on the ground countless times clear. "What are we doing today?" he asked, hoping he didn't have to drink anything disgusting or get poked with needles. He had to admit, when Hanji had first presented him with the small metal thing he was absolutely horrified. Apparently in one of Dr. Yeager's books was a lot of information about medical advancements he had made but was scared to tell anyone about, seeing as shoving sharpened metal into people's veins might seem controversial.</p><p>"I was thinking we would work on trying to emit steam from your titan today, seeing as you couldn't do it last time. What do you say?" Hanji answered, frowning a bit as she mentions their failed attempts.</p><p>"Well, I was hoping we could work on endurance today if I'm being honest, I want to see how many times I can transform, and I also want to try and keep myself conscious after I emerge from the nape" Armin suggested, really really hoping she'd give in.</p><p>"Hmm... I suppose we could try that today. It's not like it won't be useful, and if I'm being honest now that I think about it, it's way more urgent than learning how to do the steam thing... It'll be a problem if you can't keep yourself conscious..." Hanji trailed off, her head tilted slightly in thought. "Alright! Let's do it!" she exclaimed, her excitement from before returning.</p><p>She then pulled out a pocket knife, handing it to Armin, before setting off with the rest. Armin was left standing in the clearing alone, or so it looked. Hanji and the rest of her team were just beyond the clearing, disappearing into the wall of trees. Armin waited patiently for the signal, and mere minutes later it came, the green smoke signal shooting up in the distance.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he held the knife over his palm. This was going to hurt. It always did. It healed quickly, especially because he was transforming anyway, but it still stung. Finally, after a few moments of just staring at the knife, he pressed it to his palm, wincing as it broke skin, and pulled it across.</p><p>Orangish-yellow light erupted from where Armin had been standing just a few moments before, and when it cleared there it was. The Colossal Titan. It was truly a sight to behold. Fifty meters of pure muscle and baring teeth, Armin's blue eyes still recognizable on it's face.</p><p>Armin looked across the clearing, everything seeming incredibly small from this height, the sting in his palm now long gone. He could see Hanji's group, although they now looked like nothing more than ants from where he was looking down at them. His eyes scanned over the trees again, hoping he hadn't accidentally missed the second signal. A moment later it became clear that he hadn't, red smoke shooting a straight line from the trees.</p><p>Armin attempted to ready himself, trying to focus on keeping himself awake as he forced himself to tear out of the nape of his titan. Muscles ripping off his arms and undereyes, he felt the giant underneath him go limp and fall to the ground with a loud thud, raising sand all around the carcass.</p><p>Armin didn't feel the impact though, seeing as he was currently half-attached to the body, his body as limp as his titan's.</p><p>Meanwhile, Hanji and her team were right around the corner, Hanji muttering a small "damn it" as she got a glimpse of Armin's body hanging off the nape by his arms. She ran toward the titan shifter, ordering the others to stay back. She clambered onto it's neck, wincing as the hot mound of muscle burnt her skin a bit. She grabbed ahold of the boy, gripping his waist and pulling as hard as she could, the pieces of titan still attached to him coming off with a pop and a hiss as the body began to disintegrate.</p><p>Hanji flew back as Armin was disattached, falling to the ground with Armin on top of her. She quickly scrambled out from under him and knelt over, scanning his body with her eyes, looking for any visible injuries. Once none were found she focused on waking Armin up. "Armin" she started, although she knew he wouldn't wake up right away. Still, she tried again, a little louder this time -  "Armin!".</p><p>When he still didn't wake she decided to give it a few minutes before trying again. However, it would appear that she didn't have to wait, seeing as eyelids fluttered open to reveal ocean-blue eyes.</p><p>Armin was met with the sunrise as his eyes opened. Where was he? Why did his head hurt? Why was he so tired? All his questions were answered as Hanji leaned over him again, an "Armin, are you okay?" barely registering in his ears before he remembered. Damn it. He had passed out. Again. He was useless. Armin held back a groan as he nodded his head to answer Hanji's question, a new wave of pain overcoming him.</p><p>He sucked in a breath as he stood up, ignoring Hanji's remarks of "Armin what are you doing? You should rest".</p><p>Armin shook his head. "No. I can go again"</p><p>Hanji looked at him questionably before sighing and reloading the smoke signal gun. "Alright. Let's go again. Wait for the signal. Try and think of something and hold onto that thought until you're entirely disattached from the body"</p><p>"Okay" Armin nodded, watching as Hanji's team disappeared in the distance.</p><p>They repeated the process again and again and again, Armin passing out and feeling worse and worse each time he transformed. Still, he wouldn't stop. He couldn't. He refused to hold everyone back just because he was incompetent and couldn't suck it up.</p><p>"Alright Armin enough. You're going to kill yourself if you keep this up" Hanji scolded as he stood up once again, clearly ready to try again. "We're done for today, get some rest Armin" she continued, despite his whining.</p><p>Fine. He'd give in. He didn't have authorization to practice shifting by himself and Hanji was really scary when she was angry. He let Hanji lead him back to the scout dorms, sighing as he flopped down on his bed. He would never admit it to anyone else, even to himself, but he was exhausted. He wanted a break. He needed a break. His legs were shaky and his head hurt and he was tired. So, so tired. But he pushed those thoughts away every time he had them. He couldn't afford to take a break, not when he was <strong>this</strong> incompetent</p><p>He stared out the small window, getting a glimpse of the sunset right before he fell asleep, waking up only the next morning when Eren shook him awake for breakfast, all while pestering him with questions about how his training had gone. Armin lied of course, not wanting Eren to butt in again.</p><p>The week passed by in little more than a blur, filled with scout training and strategy talk, shaky legs and headaches and random bouts of nausea. It had started that one Tuesday, only getting worse as the days went by.</p><p>Eren noticed of course. He always noticed, no matter how much Armin tried to hide it. He saw the dark circles and his shaky limbs and the way he gagged every time he took a bite of food and winced in pain at every loud noise. He didn't get a chance to interrogate him though, because Armin had noticed that he was seeing the signs, and was avoiding him as to avoid being pampered and probably even yelled at for "overworking himself".</p><p>Before Armin knew it, it was Tuesday again, dread filling his stomach at the very thought of transforming again. He couldn't help the fear, he knew that the transformation was what was causing his recent unwellness. He forced himself to ignore it though, telling himself he was being irrational and stupid. He had to learn how to use this power of his. He had to help, had to prove himself worthy.</p><p>Just like last week, the door knob turned and Hanji lead him out to the clearing. He somehow managed to convince her to let him work on endurance again, though she wasn't happy about it. Eren wasn't here this week either, and Armin couldn't help but think Captain Levi was keeping them apart on purpose as to stop Eren from making Armin take so many breaks. Armin didn't mind all that much though, he agreed that all the breaks he was taking were definitely too much. </p><p>An orange light flashed across the clearing and before he knew it, Armin was once again looking out across the clearing from the nape of his titan, waiting for the signal. He was sure he was fine. He was absolutely sure he was fine. His shaky limbs and labored breaths and aching muscles meant nothing. He was fine. Until he wasn't. Until he was falling, and this time, it wasn't intentional.</p><p>He fell and fell and fell before his titan's body hit the ground, forming yet another outline of giant limbs with the force he hit it with. Armin didn't feel any pain though, falling out of consciousness before the impact.</p><p>Meanwhile, Eren was in scout training with Levi. Just Levi. Meaning all the focus was on him. He was sweaty and his muscles ached and honestly he felt close to collapsing, but all that was forgotten as Hanji was suddenly seen running toward them urgently. She yelled something but she was too far away for Eren to understand a word she was saying. Something about arms? Had something happened to her arm?</p><p>"Oh shit", Eren thought. Not arm. Arm<strong>in</strong>.</p><p>Panic welled up in his chest, and next thing he knew he was zooming toward the clearing Armin trained at, all tiredness completely forgotten. Eren knew something was up with Armin, he had seen the signs, and now something was wrong. This was all his fault. Why didn't he ask Armin what was wrong? Why didn't he force him to tell him what had happened? He hadn't done that and look what had happened. He hoped Armin wasn't hurt. Or dead. Or close to it.</p><p>He finally reached the clearing, seeing Armin's limp titan form lying sprawled on the ground. Armin was nowhere to be seen. Eren paused for a minute, his troubled mind spewing horrible possibilities, before he finally realized that Armin was still in the body. Rushing over, he clambered onto his neck, pulled out two blades and swiftly cut Armin out of the nape, wincing as the hot titan muscle made his skin burn.</p><p>Armin looked horrible. Pale and shaky and sweaty, the circles under his eyes so dark he looked almost dead. "Fuck" Eren breathed out. "Fuck, Armin" he tried, shaking the boy. He started to panic when he got no answer. What was wrong with him? What the hell did Armin do to cause this? What if he wouldn't wake up? What if-</p><p>"He overworked himself, I think" he heard Hanji speak from behind him, breathing heavily because of all the running.</p><p>Of course. Of course he had overworked himself. That was just how Armin was. Eren should've convinced Captain Levi to back off on Tuesdays. Why didn't he do that? Why didn't he-</p><p>Nevermind. There was no point regretting the past. Now that Eren knew that this had happened because Armin had overworked himself, he was sure he knew what was wrong. Armin had gotten "titan sick", something that happened to Eren when he first discovered or used a new ability, and even during the first few transformations. Controlling a body so much bigger than yours, something so foreign, was bound to take a toll on you, no matter how experienced you are. And based on how horrible Armin looked he was about to be very very sick.</p><p>He hadn't even noticed the Captain was standing right next to him until he spoke: "Eren. Based on that irritating look in your eyes I'm assuming you know what's wrong with him and how to deal with it correct?"</p><p>He didn't wait for an answer before continuing: "Get him better. You are freed of any scout training and such and are prohibited from doing anything else except make sure he doesn't die or something. There are medical supplies in the shed next to headquarters. Understand?"</p><p>"Yes, sir" Eren answered, glad he was the one who could help Armin and not someone who had never experienced something like this.</p><p>And so, he set off, carrying Armin's limp body in his arms as he set off toward headquarters. He laid Armin in bed, knowing he'd wake up at some point, and went to grab some medical supplies from the shed. Just as Levi had promised, everything was there, including some of the new stuff his father had apparently developed. Needles? Yeah that's what they were called. </p><p>He had read through the books on the medical procedures, studying them in case he ever had the need for them, and so he practically knew everything there was to know about all this new stuff. He grabbed an I.V. kit which he had helped Levi put together only around a week ago, some of that anti-nausea liquid Armin hated so much, fever reducers, some bandages just in case, and this weird purple liquid that supposedly made you really sleepy.</p><p>He sighed as he looked down at the things in his hands. It was going to be really hard to get Armin to comply. He got really childish and whiny when he was sick, so Eren had to prepare for that too. Fuck, this was gonna be hard.</p><p>He made the short walk back to the room Armin was in, laying down all the things he had brought before starting to prepare the I.V. Knowing Armin, he was probably dehydrated and malnourished as well as sick as all hell. He needed fluids in him, and while this was the first time Eren had done this, he was determined to do it right. He also wanted to do it before Armin woke up, seeing as how Eren had noticed he wasn't very fond of needles. Or pain.</p><p>Eren had finally gotten everything ready, making sure everything was sterile before following the procedure, nearly succeeding before the worst possible thing that could possibly happen at that point, happened. Armin jerked awake, tearing his arm away from Eren and gasping in pain. Luckily, Eren had been quick to pull the needle out so it didn't do any damage, but Armin was bleeding.</p><p>"Eren what are you doing?" he croaked.</p><p>"You collapsed during training. You're really sick and going to stay in bed for at least a week. This is not negotiable. Now please let me finish, Armin" Eren answered, his voice stern. He'd be gentle when Armin agreed to comply, which would happen sooner or later, but for now he had to make sure Armin listened to him.</p><p>"I don't want to. I don't like those pointy things. I don't need it" Armin said.</p><p>Eren sighed. Armin seemed to not be in a compliant mood today. He also wondered how the hell he could be so stubborn while so sick.</p><p>"Armin. This is not negotiable. I'm going to bandage your arm and then this is going in whether you like it or not. Remember back at the orphanage in Shiganshina when I said I'd get Mikasa? I will do it this time" Eren said again. Armin's pleading blue eyes made him feel bad, but he had to be strict right now. It really was for the best. It worked every time, after all.</p><p>"Eren please" Armin said, wincing a little as Eren bandaged the arm he had failed to get the I.V. in.</p><p>"Armin, you're dehydrated and weak and probably really nauseous. It's either this or drinking a shitton of water, hoping you won't throw it up, and then throwing it up anyway. It's just a little pinch, I promise, and we'll be done before you even know it okay?" Eren tried again, really hoping it would work.</p><p>It didn't. Armin shook his head and buried his face in Eren's chest. "Just like last time at the orphanage" he thought, remembering how he had been in this exact position, Armin's face pressed into him while he tried to get him to comply. What had he done that time? What made Armin give up? Oh right. Armin had been compliant that time. That obviously wasn't going to happen again.</p><p>"Armin I really don't want to call Mikasa" Eren said again, trying to reason with him. For being so smart he sure lacked common sense when it came to this.</p><p>That's when Eren had an idea. He wouldn't call Mikasa. No, he'd threaten to call Captain Levi. He was sure that even if it came to it the Captain would convince Armin, if Armin wouldn't cave at the very mention of him, that is.</p><p>"Armin I swear to god if you don't let me do this I will call Levi. He asked me to help you and this is the only way. You want me to call him in here to hold you down? Is that what you want?" Eren said, coming out a little harsher than he'd meant to.</p><p>Armin shook his head against him, taking a few moments before finally looking up at Eren with tears in his eyes. "Fine" he muttered. "I'll do it... Just... Be gentle okay?" he trailed off a little.</p><p>"Of course I will. Thank you for agreeing" Eren said, glad that his manipulations had worked.</p><p>Eren lightly pushed Armin back to a laying position, grabbing a hold of his other arm and starting the procedure all over again. "Don't look at it, it'll only make it worse" he said as he held the needle over Armin's skin, the boy practically shaking underneath his touch. "Just a pinch okay?" he said once Armin had looked away, inserting the needle into his vein.</p><p>Armin jumped a little as it breached his skin, tears immediately falling from his eyes. Eren didn't notice though, more focused on finishing the procedure. He finished just a few moments later, his eyes scanning over once again to make sure everything was in place before looking up at Armin.</p><p>"Oh, Armin..." he said as he noticed he was crying, his hand immediately moving to wipe his tears away. "Don't cry angel, I'm sorry. I know you didn't want to do that" he attempted to comfort him. It was no use though, Armin's tears kept falling, and there were even more things he had to torture him with today, and probably all week. But he'd wait for later, he doubted Armin would be able to swallow anything in this state.</p><p>So for now he settled on stroking his fingers through his hair, a successful attempt to soothe him, seeing as how the crying had stopped, only clear streaks left on his cheeks to indicate the tears that had slid down them just minutes before.</p><p>Eren decided he'd only make Armin drink the nausea meds for now, because he had no fever yet and using them on him now would be pointless, not to mention a waste. He'd use it later, when the fever that was sure to come would finally settle in. He'd use the sleep liquid later, mix it into tea or something and force him to drink it. Eren laughed as he realized that the shortened term for sleep liquid would probably be "squid".</p><p>He also considered putting Armin's meds in the bag that held the water currently dripping into his veins, but his dad's book hadn't mentioned anything of the sort and he didn't want to hurt Armin even more. No, Armin had had enough experiments done on him lately.</p><p>He looked down at the blond boy in his arms, noticing how he had stilled. He was fast asleep. Fine, he'd force him to drink his medicine later, when he woke up. Eren didn't want to leave Armin's side, but he knew he had to do a few things before returning his full attention back to him - or more accurately, ask for a few things.</p><p>"Oi, Mikasa" he said as he found her sitting at the table they ate at with her head in her hands. Mikasa's head shot up "Eren!" she exclaimed. "How's Armin? We heard he wasn't doing great and I was just worried and how can I help, do you even want me to hel-"</p><p>"Whoa, whoa slow down" Eren said, grabbing her arms so she stopped. "Yes, I do need your help. Can you make some soup? Please? Because yours is really good and Armin really likes it and-"</p><p>"Of course" now it was Mikasa's turn to cut him off.</p><p>"Thank you so so much. And while you're at it could you bring us a bucket?" Eren said.</p><p>"Yeah, sure, anything you need. Just... Be gentle with him okay Eren? You and I both know how he gets when he's sick so just don't be too harsh okay? Even if he doesn't listen" she said slowly, as though scared she'd offend him.</p><p>"Oh, please Mikasa, if you were the one who had to deal with him believe me you'd be harsh too. It's the only way to make him listen" he joked, making Mikasa smile a bit.</p><p>"I know" she said. "I'll get you a bucket in just a second, you just stay with him"</p><p>Eren obeyed, entering the room to see Armin just as he had left him. Good. No fever or vomiting just yet. It would come later though, he knew that, and Eren sighed as he realized this was going to be a very hard night.</p><p>And a very hard night it was, starting even sooner than expected, because not even an hour after Mikasa entered to room with a bucket, Armin was gagging and retching violently, making Eren scramble to his feet and shove the bucket in his lap just in time.</p><p>Armin cried as he threw up, something he did every single time. Eren would know, Armin was prone to getting sick a lot. The least he could do was be there for him, rubbing a soothing hand on his back as Armin's body shook violently. As he finally spat out the last of the contents of his stomach, Eren took away the bucket, opting to wash it now and comfort Armin later. He didn't want the room to smell of sick, as he was sure it would make Armin even more nauseous.</p><p>"One second Armin, I'll be right back okay?" he said. When he didn't get a response, he simply pressed a kiss to his forehead, noting how it was getting hot, and washed out the bucket, putting it back in it's place. When he was done he climbed into Armin's bed, holding the boy close to him and running his fingers through his hair as he whispered sweet reassurances to him for what seemed like the millionth time that night.</p><p>"You're okay. You're fine. It's finished. All done" he said, over and over again, pressing kisses to his forehead, which was really burning up. Eren decided to wait for just a bit longer before pestering him with more meds. He couldn't hold it off any more when Armin started shaking though, pulling his covers around him as he broke out in a cold sweat.</p><p>"Armin" Eren started, trying to be more gentle than before, as Mikasa had said. "I'm really sorry but you have a fever and you almost just threw up all over yourself so you're gonna have to drink a few things okay?" he asked, hoping he'd comply easier this time now that he had no energy left in him to fight.</p><p>Armin didn't say anything, only uttering a small whine before nodding his head. Nodding. Armin was nodding. Thank god. Eren sighed in relief, happy he wouldn't have to fight with him again. "Thank you for complying Armin. You're being really good" he said, pressing yet another kiss to his burning skin before reaching over to the table and grabbing the fever reducers first. He slowly brought it closer to Armin's lips, hoping he'd be able to keep it down, before tipping the bottle over, letting the small amount of liquid drip into his throat all at once.</p><p>Armin coughed a little as it went down his throat, leaving a slight burning sensation behind it. It was disgusting. A bit less than the nausea meds but absolutely horrible all the same. Armin watched Eren with almost pleading eyes as he reached for the second bottle of medication. He knew Eren wouldn't give up, but no way that stuff was going in him without a fight.</p><p>"No" he whispered, voice cracking as it had been the first time he'd spoken since he'd thrown up.</p><p>Eren turned his head back toward Armin, the vial still in his hand. "Armin, baby, please" he tried, but was met with a shake of the head and a wince. "Look, I know you feel better now that you threw up but if you drink this you'll feel better for a long time. Mikasa's making soup too, you wanna keep that down don't you?" he tried the gentler approach this time. To his surprise, it seemed to be working, Armin's eyes turning from pleading to considering, and Eren only had to ask him once more before he complied, letting Eren tip the bottle back against his lips once again.</p><p>It wasn't as much of a fight as Armin had wanted to put up, but he realized he was probably causing Eren a hell of a lot trouble. He wanted to help Eren for once, and so he decided he'd comply for now. It was nice having Eren's warm hands run through his hair, soft words spilling from his lips after each little thing he did anyway, and if that was what he got for complying, then he'd make sure to do whatever Eren said. Not to mention he didn't have the energy to put up a fight anymore. He was nauseous and his head hurt and his muscles ached and he was so weak and tired. So, so tired.</p><p>"Armin do you want to take a bath maybe? It might help you feel better" Eren asked, wanting to get Armin out of his sweat-soaked clothes, probably dirtied by sick.</p><p>Armin considered it for a second before nodding. He felt gross and he was so cold and warm water sounded very nice right about now.</p><p>"Okay. I'll go run a bath and you just stay here for now alright?" he asked, already leaving Armin's side. He was fine with that though, if it meant he'd be able to wash off this nasty feeling soon. He shivered a little as the cold air hit his legs where Eren had pulled the blanket back to climb out of the bed. He really hated being sick. You couldn't do anything yourself, and you turned into a whiny little bitch (or maybe that was just him), and you felt really... Icky.</p><p>Eren came back a few minutes later with a bandage, and Armin was very confused as to what it was for before Eren disconnected him from the I.V. and pulled the tube out of his arm altogether. He had no real need for it anymore. Armin's bag of fluids was drained, and now that he had taken his meds he should be able to keep liquid down, so he wasn't at risk of dehydration anymore.</p><p>He finished bandaging his arm before he scooped Armin's weak body up bridal-style, Armin gasping both from the cold and from the surprise of being carried like this. Eren let Armin down right next to the bathtub, kneeling down in front of him. "I'm gonna leave now, I'm waiting for you just outside okay? Get dressed when you're done and just call me if you need me, there's clothes right there" he finished, pointing to the pile of clothes in the corner of the bathroom. "Unless you want me to stay" he asked, receiving a small shake of the head in response.</p><p>You see, Armin and Eren <strong>were</strong> in a relationship, but they just weren't comfortable with undressing in front of each other yet. And so Eren left the bathroom, hoping Armin wouldn't collapse and drown while in the water.</p><p>Armin, meanwhile, was slowly undressing, his movements sluggish due to the ache deep in his bones. He got in the small bathtub, relishing in the way the warm water soothed his aches and warmed him up. He laid there for a while, answering Eren's questions of "you doing alright in there?" every once in a while, only climbing out and draining the bathtub when the water had turned cold.</p><p>He got dressed slowly, holding onto the wall for support. Why was he so dizzy? Didn't the medication help? What was going o-</p><p>And before he even realized it, Armin Arlert was on the floor.</p><p>Eren heard a thud from inside the bathroom, panic swelling in his chest as Armin didn't answer his questions. He threw open the door, cursing as he saw his boyfriend sprawled out on the floor, clearly unconscious. He had made a mistake. The bath had raised his body temperature and now Armin was passed out. This was his fault. He just desperately hoped Armin didn't have a concussion from the fall as he carried him to bed.</p><p>Eren had changed the sheets beforehand, the sweat-drenched ones simply wouldn't do. He was grateful that he had even thought about that, because Armin would surely feel better not wrapped up in dirty sheets. At least he hoped he would. Eren really wanted to try and shake Armin awake, but there was nothing left to do at this point except sit and wait.</p><p>And that's exactly what he did, tapping his foot against the floor anxiously as he waited for Armin to wake up. He must've dozed off at some point (how does one doze off while you can barely sit still because of worry? Eren didn't know) because next thing he knew he woke up to crying. Crying? Shit, Armin was crying.</p><p>Eren's eyes flew open, immediately switching on the light. "Armin, are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked, trying not to be frantic.</p><p>"Eren" Armin whispered softly, fat tears rolling down his cheeks, "it hurts".</p><p>Eren thinks his heart broke a little right then and there. "What hurts baby?" he asked, lying next to the crying boy.</p><p>Armin sniffled a bit before answering, "everything".</p><p>And at that point Eren almost cried with him. He wished he could take away all of Armin's suffering, knowing firsthand just how bad it could get. "I'm sorry it hurts angel. I promise it'll get better soon" Eren didn't know if it would get better soon. Often, titan shifter's bodies rejected medication, the titan healing abilities seeing the meds as a threat and eliminating them. Not only did this stop the medication from taking effect, but this process of elimination was quite painful. Eren sighed as he realized medicine was not on their side today. Armin would have to deal with this without any kind of help, just his body healing itself until he was better.</p><p>But Eren was there to help, and he'd try his best to make this as easy as possible for Armin. He did what he had done multiple times tonight, running his fingers through blond hair, whispering encouraging words of "I'm so sorry baby, I know it hurts. I wish I could take it away" and "shh. It's okay. Don't cry. You're doing great. Just great, Armin". His hands rubbing up and down his back as he tried to calm him, clearly failing. He had tried everything, and yet Armin was still crying, his fists clenching in pain, and his head thrown back onto the crook of Eren's neck as he let put small whines and whimpers.</p><p>Armin gasped as a new wave of pain overtook him. It was unbearable. He wanted it to stop. And, just like that night in the orphanage, he found himself uttering out those three words, over and over again.</p><p>"Make it stop. Make it stop. Please, Eren, make it stop"</p><p>Eren heart had officially shattered into a million pieces, and he wished he could. He really wished he could make it stop. He'd rather endure it himself than watch Armin squirm in his lap as he tried to handle the pain.</p><p>"I'm sorry angel. I'm sorry it hurts. It'll stop soon I promise. You're doing really well, handling this so well" he whispered in his ear, making Armin's squirming stop for a moment.</p><p>"I'm gonna go get something okay, can you stay here for a moment? I'll be really quick and It'll make the pain go away" he asked, hoping Armin would agree.</p><p>"Mnhh no. Stay" Armin groaned.</p><p>"I'll be just a second, I can make it stop. Don't you want that baby?" he asked again.</p><p>Armin was then overtaken by another wave of pain, and he didn't even know where it was coming from. It was like both his insides and outsides were on fire while simultaneously being poked with a hundred tiny needles, before being squeezed until he popped like a zit. He wanted it to stop. So he nodded, whimpering a little as Eren's warmth left him, but letting him go nonetheless.</p><p>Eren ran to the kitchen as fast as he could, filling a bowl with the soup Mikasa had made before grabbing the purple liquid he'd snatched from the table just before he'd left the room. Maybe if he mixed it in with food Armin's body wouldn't reject it. It was worth a try anyway right? He'd get some food in him too, assuming it wouldn't come back up, that is. There was basically nothing to lose. He quickly stirred it in, grabbing a spoon and being cautious to not spill anything as he walked back to Armin's room.</p><p>"Armin, baby, I'm back. I'm sorry I had to go. How are you holding up?" he asked, sitting down next to him.</p><p>"Hurts" was the only response that came from the small ball of sheets Armin had turned himself into.</p><p>"I know sweetheart, I know it hurts. I have something for you though, it might help" Eren said, holding up the bowl of soup.</p><p>"Soup?" Armin asked, "you left me for <strong>soup</strong>?"</p><p>"I was thinking that maybe if I mixed the sleeping thing in with food your body won't reject it. It's not really medicine so it has higher chances of actually working, and you'll be able to sleep and nothing will hurt. Does that sound nice?" Eren explained.</p><p>"Hell yeah it sounds nice" Armin grumbled.</p><p>Eren laughed a little at Armin's enthusiastic response, reaching over to grab the bowl and the spoon. He fed it to Armin wordlessly, the both of them sitting in a comfortable silence, none of them feeling the need to talk.</p><p>Once Armin had finished, Eren sat the bowl down once again, holding Armin close to him as he waited for the boy to drift off. He hoped his idea would work, and if not - at least he had gotten some food in him.</p><p>It did work though, and Eren sighed contently as Armin's face relaxed in his sleep, no traces of pain or discomfort left in his soft features. Eren started stroking his head, long golden hair wrapping around his fingers, somehow still really soft despite everything Armin had been through tonight.</p><p>One thing was certain, Eren was certainly never letting Armin overwork himself like this ever again.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I worked on this all day and I still hate how it turned out. This is like, the third version too. I've come to the conclusion that I take too damn long to get to the point. Anyway, if you've read this, I'm sorry for you. I thought my work yesterday was pretty shitty and yet somehow that seems like my greatest work of all time compared to whatever the fuck this is. It's also like 11 p.m. and I haven't slept in like three days so I'm practically delirious, so I'm just not gonna reread it. Just post it. And hope for the best.</p><p>Also, by the way, if you comment, I WILL reply to you and it WILL be unnecessarily long. I also just want to stop for a second and say that I am so very grateful for every ounce of support I get. I never really got much on other platforms so this is really surprising to me. Um, yeah, that's all, I hope you guys have a great day/night/afternoon and thank you for reading my eremin brainrot.</p><p>(And one last thing, I've had this idea for an Oisuga fic that has been nagging at me for MONTHS. Is that something you guys would like to see or... Might just do it anyway because it's literally in my head 24/7 and I can't take it anymore)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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